Home Repairs

LifeCare Alliance, with the help of a grant from Meals on Wheels America and Team Depot, made improvements in the home of a Navy widow to help her safely access her shower.

Carol is the widow of a Navy veteran who served four years in active duty as well as 16 years in the Reserves. With limited mobility, simply getting into and out of the shower became a challenge for Carol. After hearing of LifeCare Alliance’s CHORES program, which helps seniors make home improvements to address safety issues, she decided to apply for assistance. Funding from Meals on Wheels America and Team Depot helps provide these improvements for military veterans and their spouses.

I had two grab bars put in, one on the inside of the shower and one on the outside of the shower. I now can use both of them getting in and out of the shower. That is something that really helps.

They put in a flex handheld shower extension that you could pull off the wall. I can use this to rinse my hair without getting everything else wet. I love that, and I can now put a bench inside the shower to sit down and use the flex extension to wash.

This program from Lifecare Alliance, Meals on Wheels America and Home Depot was so simple to apply for it gave me the incentive to get it done.

I just want to thank everyone involved with assisting me with making it easier to shower and get in and out of the shower area.

This summer, LifeCare Alliance featured Bob and Linda, South Side Parsons Area community advocates. A damaged roof and sinking porch on their own home presented a significant challenge to the military family.

LifeCare Alliance assisted the couple through the Helping Hometown Heroes grant provided by Home Depot and Meals on Wheels America. The porch and roof were improved this summer, and Team Depot representatives returned in September to paint the porch after giving materials time to cure.

LifeCare Alliance is proud to offer this assistance in the central Ohio community. For more information, call 614-278-3130.

A mysterious leak in the bathroom nearly left an Army widow penniless when repair costs and water bills began to add up. But thanks to LifeCare Alliance, through a grant from Meals on Wheels America and Team Depot, the leak and damage were fixed — allowing her to stay safe, independent, and living in her own home.

Darlene is the widow of an Army veteran who served from 1945-1947. Since her husband passed away years ago, money became tight. Her retirement and pension income also had run out. So when the unexpected leak caused major damage to her bathroom floor, she had no way to pay for repairs.

Since the leak appeared to be coming from the bathtub, Darlene tried limiting showers to avoid further damage to the floor. When that wasn’t working, Darlene thought she may be forced to leave the home she shared with her late husband. Around tax time this year, she shared her concerns with her tax preparer, who gave her some leads on assistance with the home repairs, including LifeCare Alliance.

“The Lord was watching over me when I found LifeCare,” Darlene said. “The first day the contractor came in, he showed me a picture of the new floor he was going to install.”

The contractor also pinpointed the source of the leak as the toilet, not the tub. “That’s something we wouldn’t have even known if it wasn’t for the contractor and LifeCare.”

Darlene’s sister lives with her and is on oxygen 24 hours a day. In addition to the floor repair, the contractor said the two would need grab bars installed in the bathroom for safety. Darlene had maxed out her credit card purchasing grab bars, but assistance from the Helping Homebound Heroes grant allowed her to return them, giving her an additional financial break.

“When the contractor got finished with the job, we were so overwhelmed at the look and safety of our bathroom. It was beautiful,” Darlene said. “We can take a bath now! We went without taking baths or showering for months in fear of the tub going through the floor.”

Darlene is grateful for the help she received from LifeCare Alliance, with the support of Meals on Wheels America and Team Depot.

“You know the Lord takes care of the widows and the fallen vets, and today LifeCare was our angel to allow me to stay in my home.”

LifeCare Alliance, in partnership with Meals on Wheels America and The Home Depot Foundation, helped provide basic but vital safety improvements at an Army widow’s home.

When 75-year-old Isabelle contacted LifeCare Alliance for home repairs, she was grateful to learn of the help she could receive through the Helping Hometown Heroes program. Most of the repairs to Isabelle’s home were to keep her safe and secure in her own home. The improvements included the installation of motion-activated outdoor lighting, a small wheelchair ramp, a new security door, a window with locking device, and drywall in her bedroom.

“I really appreciate the motion lamp. When I come home at night, the light turns on,” Isabelle said, adding that she feels safer with the new wheelchair ramp and a window that locks. “You guys have helped me tremendously, and I appreciate it,” she said.

Isabelle said the improvements have allowed her to stay safe and independent in her home, where she wants to be. The repairs, unfortunately, had been more than she could afford.

Her husband, served in the Army during the 1960s and ’70s.

The Helping Hometown Heroes program helps veterans and spouses improve their homes to address mobility challenges and avoid unnecessary injuries, hospitalization and homelessness. The Home Depot Foundation has invested more than $200 million in veteran-related projects since 2011.

“I would like to thank the Home Depot Foundation and LifeCare Alliance for all they do for our veterans,” Isabelle said.

Bob and Linda are strong community advocates in Columbus’ South Side Parsons Area Commission.

The married couple’s neighborhood pride pushes them to clean up crime and property damage in their community. But as issues with the roof and porch on their own home worsened, Bob and Linda needed some help. Their roof was damaged and part of their porch was sinking.

Bob served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Over the years, he and his wife have dealt with several medical issues. He is one of many veterans that LifeCare Alliance is assisting through the Helping Hometown Heroes grant provided by Home Depot and Meals on Wheels America.

“We were in dire need of help and they came to our rescue to help us out,” Linda said. “And now our roof is fixed along with our porch. We just thank you from the bottom of our heart!!”

Bob shared his story with us:

I served in the Army from 1968-1971, doing one term in Vietnam.

When I got out of the service we got the house, and after some years we starting having a lot of issues with the house. We got a hold of LifeCare Alliance through a community meeting we were attending when Maurice talked about the program. LifeCare saved my rear end by coming out and fixing my roof and my dangerously sinking front porch that we were cited for from City Code Enforcement.

Without LifeCare Alliance, there would have been no way I could have afforded to do these repairs unless I hit the lottery or something.

LifeCare Alliance, through funding from the Helping Hometown Heroes grant provided by Home Depot and Meals on Wheels America, is helping local veterans like Mark make necessary repairs to their homes.

Because of a fixed income, Mark faced a significant challenge when his large privacy fence was damaged, attracting attention from a city code enforcement officer. The Helping Hometown Heroes grant helped Mark get the help he needed to shore up his fence and remove a citation he received.

He shared his story with us:

“My name is Mark, and during the 1970’s I was an Airman in the Navy.

My home is located on a corner lot and in my neighborhood crime has spiked, and my privacy fence provides me with a sense of security. One day, I noticed the fence was leaning, and then it fell – that is when I received a citation from the City Of Columbus Code Enforcement Officer. After I was cited, we had a strong storm, and part of the large fence came down!

The code enforcement officer referred me to Maurice Elder from LifeCare Alliance. I was told that he helps veterans with these types of projects. LifeCare Alliance and Home Depot assisted with repairing my fence and allowing code enforcement to remove the citation.

I am disabled and living on VA pension which isn’t much, so this help was a Godsend for me. Since my repair, Maurice inquired if I was in need of home-delivered meals. I gladly accepted the help. In closing, I would like to say, God Bless Home Depot and LifeCare Alliance.”

David, an Air Force veteran, and his wife, Diane, reside in a mobile home in Columbus, Ohio. Their home was in need of major repairs, especially the floor. The flooring had begun to wear away, and Diane feared that her husband, who maneuvers through the home in an electric scooter, would fall through the floor.

Fortunately, help for David and Diane was available through the Helping Hometown Heroes grant provided by The Home Depot Foundation and Meals on Wheels America. The Helping Hometown Heroes grant provides home repairs for veterans and their spouses.

Maurice Elder, customer service director at LifeCare Alliance and the administrator of the grant, connected the couple with the contractors of Home Depot to repair the flooring in the couple’s home.

Diane said she thanked the Lord the work could be done “because I was so worried about his condition and falling through the floor. The guys who came to our home were very nice, polite, professional, and cleaned up after finishing the work!” One of the contractors noticed the couple’s toilet needed to be replaced. The toilet was not included in the original scope of work, but he replaced it with a new ADA-compliant toilet.

“I am so thankful to God that there are programs like this — one that extends funds even when the VA or others [have] exhausted their resources,” David said. “I appreciate all the businesses that contribute to this program; I want to thank LifeCare Alliance for your compassion for us and others like us.”